Nielsen Homescan Review: Earn Rewards On Your Shopping

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The Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel is one way for Canadian shoppers to earn rewards for purchases they make, while participating in market research and influencing which products make it to the store.

Earning rewards via cash back and rebates is fun, especially if you are being rewarded for purchases you make anyway. In addition to getting cash back, one other way to get rewarded for shopping is by participating in survey panels and contributing to the market data they use for their research. My wife signed up for the Nielsen Homescan a while back, was accepted, and this review is based on her opinion of the program.

Nielsen Homescan Canada Ratings Summary

3.8/5

This is based on assessing their rewards, redemption options, ways to earn, and overall benefits.

Nielsen is considered one of the leading market research companies in the world, tracking consumer behaviour for over 250,000 households around the world.

About Nielsen Homescan Canada

Nielsen Homescan Canada has been around for a while and its parent company “Nielsen” is regarded as one of the leading market research companies in the world. In the U.S., the similar program managed by Nielsen and IRi is referred to as the National Consumer Panel (NCP).

What market research panels like Nielsen do is to recruit panelists (you) who provide them with valuable information and shopping data. This data is aggregated and analysed to provide answers on consumer spending behaviour that brands, retailers, and marketers use to decide on what products they bring to market.

Nielsen currently tracks consumer behaviour for over 250,000 households in 25 countries. Members of their panel are rewarded for the time they spend to provide this data. The company has been around for over 90 years.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

How To Join Nielsen Homescan Panel and Earn Points

In order to become a member of the Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel and start earning rewards, you will need to:

Visit Nielsen Homescan Canada here and complete the online form. They place you on a list and contact you directly when you are able to get started. The time it takes to hear back from them varies. For those residing in the U.S., you can join the National Consumer Panel here.

Once you are selected, you will receive a mobile app or handheld scanner which you use to scan the barcodes on products you buy on a weekly basis. You also receive a starting bonus 1,000 points.

After scanning, the scanner automatically transmits the data collected to Nielsen Homescan. You can also transmit manually. You will see a success message once your transmission is complete.

You receive rewards points for each weekly transmission.

Other Ways To Earn With Nielsen Homescan

In addition to earning points for scanning barcodes of items you buy weekly, you can also earn additional points for participating in surveys and other special studies. The more (and the longer) you participate, the more points you earn plus annual bonuses.

Monthly Cash Incentive: When my wife joined, she was offered a cash incentive of a $15 Visa Prepaid Card every month for one year that is an extra $180 in addition to the normal points. I am not sure if this offer is always the same for all new participants.

How To Redeem Your Nielsen Homescan Rewards

In order to redeem your accumulated points, you need to visit the “Rewards” section of their website to view the Homescan Gift catalogue.

The monthly cash incentive (if applicable) is sent through postal mail every month.

Is Nielsen Homescan Panel Legit?

A question I always ask myself in regards to online surveys and other side gigs is: “Is this a scam?”

Based on first-hand experience (via my wife), Nielsen Homescan is not a scam. You do earn rewards and can definitely redeem them once you reach the threshold for your preferred gift item.

Is Nielsen Homescan Worth Your Time?

It depends on what your “free” time is worth and if you actually enjoy scanning your purchases and building rewards over time.

What can you expect in rewards?

For example, for a starting panelist in Canada, each weekly transmission gets you 150 points (plus the initial 1,000 bonus points). There are annual anniversary points of 1,500 or 5,000 points at your 5th year and 10,000 points when you reach your 10th anniversary. Additionally, if you are dedicated with your scanning, they reward you with bonus points up to 3,000 per year. And, there are points for completing surveys.

On redemption, 1,000 points are worth roughly $1.25 to $1.50. That’s not a lot of money. For my wife who is receiving a $15 gift card every month, the rewards are better… for about an hour of her time every month.

Is the program worth your time? Again, it depends. It does not take too much of your time per week. At the end of the day, it will depend on what time you have to spare and if you enjoy participating in this type of market research.

Conclusion

Nielsen Homescan Canada is one of many market research panels out there. Other paid survey sites you can use to earn some passive income include: